War alters individuals and landscapes and is a central element in national identity, memory and memorialisation. This course centres on a 18-day intensive study tour retracing the First World War with a focus on Australia’s war in 1915-1919 across Gallipoli and the Western Front. Students will reconstruct several major battles of World War I in the places they were fought, examine the ways diverse interests claim a place in a commemorated landscape, assess the making of memorials by all belligerent nations, and consider both the campaigns and the experiences of war behind the lines, in particular the interaction of troops and nurses with the civilian population. Throughout the course, a series of onsite presentations and workshops will introduce students to the nature of war on the Gallipoli Peninsula and along the Western Front, stimulating reflection on issues ranging from the making of the Anzac Legend, the experience of overseas travel, the changing nature of battle, pilgrimage, cultural tourism, the making of commemorative landscapes, the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the making of a new Europe.
Students will only be permitted to travel upon completion of ANU required documentation, including the travel form and the approval of all documentation by the relevant delegate. Disclaimer: Applicants are advised that due to circumstances beyond the University's control (for example, specific international security concerns and international health crises) it may not be possible for students to commence or complete this course as advertised.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- critically evaluate the historiography of Australia's involvement in World War I and the ways in which that conflict has been remembered and commemorated;
- locate and interrogate personal testimonies and other primary sources to assist in this understanding;
- demonstrate an understanding of the impact of World War I on civil societies and how the war reshaped Europe and the Middle East in the twentieth century;
- conduct independent research and work collaboratively in groups; and
- communicate expressively and critically in both oral and written forms on the complex questions of involvement in human conflict.
Work Integrated Learning
Fieldwork
The course includes field study and field trips.
Other Information
Students are free to arrange their own return airfares to Europe, giving them some flexibility over the time and cost of travel and allowing them to stay on in Europe (if they wish to) when the subject ends. In addition to the standard tuition fee, students will be required to pay an additional travel fee which will cover all accommodation and most land transport, travel from Turkey to Belgium, all museum entries, some meals in transit and all meals on the Gallipoli Peninsula. They will also cover their flight to and from Europe.
Indicative Assessment
- Two in-country presentations (1000 words each) 15% each for a total of 30% (30) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Course diary (1500 words) (15) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Preliminary Research Paper (1500 words) (15) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Research paper (4000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
260 hours of study hours of total student learning time made up from in-country site visits, reading, and preparing assignments.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable.
Preliminary Reading
Jay Winter, Sites of Mourning, Sites of Memory: The Great War and European Cultural History, Cambridge 1992
Bruce Scates, Return to Gallipoli: Walking the Battlefields of the Great War, Cambridge 2006
Bruce Scates, On Dangerous Ground: A Gallipoli Story, Perth 2013.
Romain Fatih, Our Corner of the Somme, Cambridge, 2019.
Stephane Audion-Rouzeau and Annette Becker, 1914-18: Understanding the Great War, London 2000.
Bart Ziinno, 'A Distant Grief': Australians, War Graves and the Great War; Perth 2007
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 12 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 12.00 | 0.25000 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $8640 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $11160 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Autumn Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5218 | 16 Jun 2025 | 20 Jun 2025 | 20 Jun 2025 | 03 Jul 2025 | In Person | N/A |